


no title, just sad soulmates stuff

by LittleRedFlowers



Category: Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Don't get scared away by the majort character death tag!!!! nothing really happens!!!, M/M, No beta we die like wwx, Pre-Slash, possible ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-06-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:07:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24574291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedFlowers/pseuds/LittleRedFlowers
Summary: Suibian.It was the only physical reminder left of the once brilliant cultivator.
Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn
Comments: 6
Kudos: 55





	no title, just sad soulmates stuff

**Author's Note:**

> There's no title cuz i suck at titles.

When the siege at the burial mounds ended, Lan Xichen wondered to himself just what exactly did he do. The entire cultivation world was convinced that the Yiling patriarch was building an army of undead and yet….

All the corpses that littered that ground were those of the old and the weak.

When the dust and dirt of the burial mounds settled, and cultivators stopped slashing their swords at anything that moved, the Yiling patriarch was gone. Did he manage to escape, or was he dragged under and ripped to shreds by the resentful energy that he harnessed? Lan Xichen didn’t have an answer to any of those questions.

At Jin Guangshan’s orders, cultivators dressed in gold rushed forward towards the Demon-Slaughtering Cave with intents to rob the cave of all its research, notes and inventions left behind.

Lan Xichen strolled forward, guilt slowly creeping into his mind at the sight of the corpses. From the corner of eyes, the stark contrast of dark wood against the surface of the cave attracted his attention. Wood was not something he had expected to see in a cave that was surrounded by nothing but dirt and stone. Even the barks of the trees outside were dull and dead, but this dark wood was seemingly alive.

He moved towards it.

Tucked at a dark corner of the cave, against a slab of stone that Wei Wuxian used as a bed was a sword.

Lan Xichen knows this sword. He saw Wei Wuxian wield it when he was a student at Cloud Recess, saw him wield it when they encountered the waterborne abyss.

_Suibian._

It was the only physical reminder left of the once brilliant cultivator.

Seeing the sword reminded him of past memories he had of Wei Wuxian, holding it in his hands reminded him of his younger brother. The latter was incapacitated by the 33 lashes he received. Wei Wuxian might no longer be around, but at the very least Lan Xichen can bring this sword back to his younger brother to serve a keepsake of his beloved.

With that in mind, he slipped Suibian into a qiankun pouch and made his way back to where his uncle and the rest of his sect stood.

* * *

“Did you find anything of value in that cave?” Lan Qiren asked.

His brows furrowed at the mere thought of that demonic cultivator being competent enough to leave behind anything of use.

“Just his sword.”

Lan Xichen held the sword in his hands.

Lan Qiren frowned harder.

“I took it for Wangji. For him… to have a keepsake.”

It didn’t matter what Lan Xichen said to explain his decision for taking Suibian. His uncle would never understand.

“You want to give Wangji the sword? It’ll taint him with resentful energy! Are you out of your mind?”

Rule Number #37: Shouting is prohibited in the Cloud Recess was conveniently forgotten. Lan Qiren continued to shout at his oldest nephew, demanding that the sword is handed over to the elders for safekeeping or destroyed.

He reached over and pulled at the handle of the sword.

With Lan Xichen’s firm grip on Suibian and Lan Qiren pulling at the sword, Suibian did not budge. Both men were shocked at the occurrence.

Lan Qiren loosens his grip of the sword as Lan Xichen attempted and failed to unsheathe Suibian.

As one of the cultivators with insane arm strength, Lan Xichen was surprised that he could not unsheathe the sword. It was then that a thought came to him.

Strong spiritual tools have sentients. They are attuned to their owners' soul and cores. They would willingly seal themselves if they can no longer feel the presence of their owners.

If Suibian cannot be unsheathed, does this mean Wei Wuxian’s soul and golden core no longer exist?

As Lan Xichen tries to gather his thoughts and the real possibility that Wei Wuxian is truly dead, Lan Qiren snatched the sword out of his hands.

With a commanding tone, several of the Lan sect strongest disciples took turns and tried to unsheathe the sword. Yet, Suibian did not unsheathe itself for anyone. The Lan disciples turned to each other and started murmuring.

_Wouldn’t unsheathe…_

_spirit…._

_dead…_

_Yiling patriarch…_

Lan Qiren harrumphed and stroked his beard.

As one of the most knowledgeable sect in the entire cultivation world, with the vast number of scrolls and books, Lan Qiren knew precisely what this meant. He knew it, the disciples knew it, Lan Xichen knew it. With the sword being sealed, the chances of the Yiling patriarch being alive were slim to none.

Everyone who was at the siege and everyone who tried to unsheathe the sword knew that the possibility of Wei Wuxian being alive was close to none.

All except one.

“Uncle, please. Let me bring Wangji the sword. This is the very least that I can do for my brother.” Lan Xichen begged.

“This sword carries no resentful energy, this sword….”

Lan Qiren cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Quiet. The rest of you may go.”

The disciples scattered. Rule Number #86: Gossiping is prohibited in the Cloud Recess was deemed redundant at this moment as disciples started to exchange theories and stories of the Yiling patriarch, of his sword and of Lan Wangji.

“Uncle, please… This sword is all that’s left of Wei Wuxian. Please let Wangji have something to remind him of Wei Wuxian.”

Lan Xichen might not have liked Wei Wuxian for his foolishness, for the pain he put Lan Wangji in, for turning his back against the righteous path. He knew that his uncle hated the other male since the first time he laid eyes on him. Lan Qiren didn’t approve of Wei Wuxian and absolutely how Wei Wuxian affected his youngest nephew with his actions.

Be it friendship or something more, Lan Qiren would never approve of it. Despite that, both Lan Qiren and Lan Xichen knew that Lan Wangji had strong feelings for the other male.

To give Lan Wangji the sword was only right, wasn't it? There were no traces of resentful energy on the sword, after all, there are no reasons why Lan Wangji can’t have the sword. It can only be considered as righteous to allow him to have a keepsake of his loved ones, isn’t it? Even if that keepsake belonged to the Yiling patriarch.

Lan Qiren sighed and tugged on his beard a little harder.

“Go. Bring it to Wangji.”

* * *

Lan Xichen quickly grabbed the sword, as if afraid that his uncle would change his mind. He smiled gratefully to the other male. Bowed as low as his position would allow him and with a quick thank-you to his uncle, he immediately left.

The walk towards Jingshi was awful. Lan Xichen did not know how he was going to break the news to his brother. After all, how do you tell someone who’s in an extremely vulnerable state that the possible love of your life is dead? How do you tell them that they died as a result of a siege led by five major sects, including your sect that was led by your own brother?

Lan Xichen doesn’t know whether he’ll be able to look Lan Wangji in the eyes without feeling guilty. The sword is his hands now feels heavy with the guilt he carries in his heart.

He knocked on the door.

It’s now or never.

As a sect leader, he has to be brave. But never in his life has he felt more anxious, not even when he was taken prisoner during the war.

He heard a soft and muffled ‘come in’ from inside and heaved a sigh before pushing the doors of the Jingshi open.

The sight before his eyes was one that would forever be etched in his memory. It was a sight that would forever remind him of the pain his brother went through to protect his beloved, only for his beloved to end up dead a few days later. It was a sight that would forever remind him of his greatest failure as a brother. As a sect leader, he did what he had to do. But as a brother, he failed to protect.

Lan Wangji laid on his bed, facing down. His back was covered in medical cloth that had blood seeping through it. His face was as white as a sheet, his lips were dried and cracked. The Lan Wangji in front of him now was nothing like the Lan Wangji everyone knew and respected.

Seeing him now, Lan Xichen couldn’t bear to tell him the news. But he must. Lan Wangji deserved to know that his beloved was no longer around and all that’s left of him is his sword.

“Wangji, I have something to tell you.”

Upon hearing his older brother’s voice, Lan Wangji turned his head.

He noticed immediately that Suibian was in his older brother’s hand.

His breath hitched a little at what it might imply.

“I… Young master Wei… The Yiling patriarch…He…”

Lan Xichen didn’t know how to form the words he needed. He didn’t know _how_ , but he knows that he _must_.

“Wei Wuxian died today, at a siege led by the five major sects. This is all that I offer you as a keepsake.”

Silence never seemed so loud before.

Lan Wangji’s eyes widened as he stumbled off his bed. His brother managed to catch him before he crashed onto the floor. With his brother close, he grabbed onto the front of his robes. 

“You’re lying. Tell me you’re lying!”

In the short lifetime that Lan Wangji had been alive, he remembers crying only once when the doors to his mother’s living quarters never opened again. Once again, he felt as though the world was betraying him. Someone that he love - _loved-_ was gone again, another someone whose doors will never open for him again.

Tears rolled down his cheeks as he snatched the sword away from his brother. He will never allow anyone to taint the thing last of Wei Ying he has. Not his uncle, not his brother, not even Jiang Wanyin.

“Wei Ying isn’t dead, you’re lying to me!”

It was maddening to see his younger brother in denial. Lan Xichen doesn't know what he could possibly say to comfort him, so he said nothing at all. 

In a moment of madness and denial, Lan Wangji pulled the sword.

It unsheathed.

_Suibian unsheathed itself._

“I knew it, Wei Ying isn’t dead.”

There was a look of relief and happiness on his face when the sword unsheathed itself.

But that wasn’t possible.

Not when Lan Xichen and thousands of cultivators saw Wei Wuxian’s disappeared within the circle of resentful energy. Not when Lan Xichen and a majority of the Lan sect disciples failed to unsheathe the sword. 

Lan Wangji sheathed the sword back into its scabbard and immediately, Lan Xichen’s hands flew to the handle and started pulling.

“He’s dead, Wangji. He’s dead! Look! It will not unsheathe because Wei Wuxian is dead!”

Lan Xichen continued pulling at the sword, and no matter how hard he tries, the result of it reminds the same.

Wei Wuxian was dead, and his sword is sealed away.

And yet…

Lan Wangji managed to unsheathe the sword each and every time that he tries.

Both brothers stared at each other.

At atmosphere was thick with grief and confusion. 

There was no doubt in either of their minds that Wei Wuxian was dead. Lan Wangji knows that his brother would never lie to him about this, yet he was able to unsheathe the sword as if Wei Wuxian’s soul and core were still around. 

Lan Xichen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“Wangji, you once confided in me that you regard young master Wei has your soulmate, your lifelong confidant.

Perhaps, he felt the same about you.

Perhaps his feelings for you run deeper than what he led you to believe.

Perhaps the sword recognizes your soul and core as part of his.”

It felt cruel to say those words to someone who just lost their soulmate and lifelong confidant. But it was the only explanation that made sense.

Lan Wangji stared at his brother as he clutches the sword to his chest. Tears were once again, dripping from his eyes. The thought of Wei Ying thinking of him as his soulmate and lifelong confidant touched his heart. Wei Wuxian had thought and believed that so deeply that even after his last breathe, Suibian recognized Lan Wangji’s soul and core to be the other half of its master.

But the same thought hurt his heart as well. Wei Ying thought of Lan Wangji as a soulmate and lifelong confidant the same way Lan Wangji thought of him.

And Lan Wangji lost him.

**Author's Note:**

> This ending is haywire cuz idk how to end this fic. 
> 
> Basically, I just wanted an excuse to write the sentence of suibian recognizing lwj’s soul cuz theyre soulmates lmao 
> 
> Also if this sucks, I’m sorry haha I haven’t written a fic in like 3 years? 4 years??? If you spot any mistakes, please lmk!  
> Everything aside, thank you for reading! Comments & kudos are always appreciated!


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